Lacrosse heads of current design typically take the form of an open frame having a base with a concave interior surface that defines a ball rest, a pair of sidewalls that diverge form the base, and a lip that interconnects the sidewalls remotely of the base. Openings or other means are carried by the frame for securing a lacrosse net around the back side of the frame, leaving the opposing front side of the frame open for receiving lacrosse balls. A socket or other means exteriorly projects from the base of the frame for attachment to a handle. The handle and attachment socket define a handle/head axis, which typically although not necessarily forms the central axis and/or an axis of lateral symmetry of the head. All or at least a major portion of the front side of the head is conventionally disposed in a plane parallel to the handle/head axis.
Although lacrosse heads of the described character have enjoyed substantial acceptance and success in the marketplace, improvements remain desirable. It is a general object of the present invention to provide a lacrosse head of the described character that possesses a radically new curved scoop-like design that greatly facilitates play and gives players a decided advantage as compared with heads of conventional construction. Another and more specific object of the present invention is to provide a lacrosse head of the described character that is particularly designed and configured to enable players to dominate ground balls. A further object of the present invention is to provide a lacrosse head of the described character that is specifically designed to direct a lacrosse ball to the pocket or "sweet spot" of the head, and to improve player control during one-handed cradling of the ball at the ball rest. Another object of the present invention is to provide a lacrosse head that improves both player "feel" and ball velocity during cradling, passing or shooting. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a lacrosse head that incorporates one or more of the aforementioned objectives and advantages while at the same time being entirely within NCAA and other applicable regulations and specifications.
A lacrosse head in accordance with a first aspect or feature of the present invention comprises an open frame construction of the general character described above in which the front side of the frame at the base, adjacent to the socket or other means for attachment to the handle, defines a base plane parallel to the head/handle axis. However, contrary to conventional designs, neither the front sides nor the back sides of the frame sidewalls lie in or are parallel to such base plane. Rather, both the front sides and the back sides of the frame sidewalls curve away from the base plane in the direction of the frame back side from the base toward the lip, and then back toward the base plane so as to impart a curved scoop-like geometry to the head when viewed in side elevation. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, both the front side and the back side of the head have maximum spacing or distance from the base plane at about the midpoint of the sidewalls between the base and the lip.
Both the front sides and the back sides of the frame sidewalls curve at substantially constant radii throughout at least one-half of their lengths, and preferably throughout about three-quarters of their lengths, between the base and the lip. Curvature of the sidewalls and lengths of the sidewalls are such that the back sides of the sidewalls return at the lip to a spacing or distance from the base plane equal to or less than spacing of such back side from the plane adjacent to the base. The sidewalls of the lacrosse head in the preferred embodiment of the invention have a substantially constant thickness, measured in a direction perpendicular to the base plane, throughout at least one-half of their lengths, and preferably throughout at least about three-quarters of their lengths, between the base and the lip.
The scooped lacrosse head embodying this first feature or aspect of the invention possesses numerous advantages over conventional head constructions in which the front side of the frame is disposed essentially or entirely in a plane. The curved sidewalls of the present invention naturally channel the lacrosse ball into the "sweet spot" or pocket of the net. Further, the net pocket may be of deeper construction than with conventional heads, while maintaining a sidewall thickness of no more than two inches as required by applicable NCAA specifications. Moreover, the arched scoop-like construction of the head, and the consequent scooped construction of the net attached to the head, provides a greater distance for the ball to travel in the net during a throwing motion, thereby improving both ball speed and "feel," again while maintaining an overall head length within applicable NCAA specifications.
In accordance with another important feature of the present invention, which may be employed either separately from or more preferably in combination with other aspects of the invention, the lip that interconnects the head sidewalls remotely of the frame base has an exterior surface--i.e., a surface remote from the ball stop at the frame base--that defines a ground contact plane--i.e., a plane of contact with the ground (assuming that the ground is flat) at the centerline of the head--at an angle of at least 40.degree. to the head/handle axis. That is, when the forward outside surface of the lip is held flat against the ground to scoop a ball, the handle is at an angle of at least 40.degree. to the ground. This exterior lip surface angle, particularly when combined with the preferred scoop-like configuration of the head as discussed above, greatly facilitates control of ground balls because the stick and head may be held at a natural angle for retrieving ground balls while the front lip is scooped beneath the ball without interrupting play or player motion. Further, the geometry of the head, coupled with the preferred molded nylon construction of the head, allows the head to flex so as to improve contact between the lip and ground during use, yielding even greater ground contact and ground ball dominance.
In accordance with a third important aspect of the present invention, which again may be implemented either separately from or more preferably in combination with other aspects of the invention, the base of the frame that defines the ball rest has a concave shoulder at the back side of the base that is recessed with respect to the concave interior surface of the base, with the net-securing apertures or other means at the base being disposed in such shoulder. This shoulder provides two distinct advantages over conventional ball rest constructions. First, the knots or other means that secure the net to the frame are recessed by the shoulder beneath the ball rest, and beneath the foam rubber ball stop that is conventionally secured to the ball rest. Thus, the net-securing knots at the frame base are not abraded by balls that abut or are carried on the ball rest and ball stop. Second, the recessed shoulder allows the ball to rest within the net pocket at a position below the arcuate plane of the ball rest when the head is held perpendicular to the ground. This feature provides improved ball control for one-handed cradling, while remaining within applicable NCAA regulations which require that the ball fall freely from the head when the head is held in inverted horizontal orientation. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the arcuate ball-rest surface is on a conical surface of revolution at an angle of 91.degree. to the head/handle axis, which further enhances the natural action of the head to hold the ball against the net during one-handed vertical cradling.